3,110 money laundering, 12K FEMA cases registered by ED in last 3 yrs: Govt

The Enforcement Directorate has registered 3,110 cases under the anti-money laundering law and over 12,000 complaints to probe alleged foreign exchange violations over the last three years, the government informed Parliament on Monday.

Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary told Lok Sabha in a written reply that the ED has recorded cases on the basis of a "risk-based robust mechanism" under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) and the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA).

The number of cases recorded under the PMLA in 2020-21 was 981, during 2021-22, it rose to 1,180 and there were 949 cases during 2022-23, he said in the reply.

The total money laundering cases registered in these three years stand at 3,110.

Similarly, the federal agency booked 2,747 cases under the FEMA during 2020-21; 5,313 during 2021-22; and 4,173 cases in 2022-23. So a total of 12,233 FEMA cases were registered by the ED in the last three years.

He also gave the details of PMLA and FEMA cases registered by the ED in the same time period in Rajasthan, while replying to a specific question about the northern state.

During the last three years in Rajasthan, 99 cases have been recorded under the PMLA and proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 836.23 crore have been attached.

Further, proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 2,214.92 crore have been confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority (of the PMLA) during the last three years, the minister said.

A total of 1,004 cases have been registered under the FEMA over the last three years in Rajasthan and 102 show cause notices have been issued and 106 Adjudication orders have been passed in the state, Chaudhary said.